You Again
by HaZvisions
Summary: When Sougo and Kagura are reborn, they enter their second life without certain memories, specifically the ones involving each other. And one more thing, cruel fate has swapped their genders. The pair is completely OOC because of the memory loss, gender swapping and I can't write canon characters. (Okikagu Genderbender and Hijimitsu) [Under Revision]
1. Prologue

**Theme Song** : You by Kang Seung Yoon (Love for a Thousand Years OST)

* * *

(Okita Souko's POV)

I sighed and watched my breath form in the cold air on an early April morning.

It was a new day. Not a cloud in sight. The breeze was cool. Not a thing had gone wrong since I woke up. I was completely bored.

 _Did the criminals taking a day off today?_

In my aimless wandering, my legs had taken me to a familiar bridge overlooking a wide river. While in the middle of crossing the bridge, I noticed that I wasn't alone. There was a tall figure in the distance. Before I could take a better look at the person, a strong gust of wind brought forth a mass of cherry blossom petals causing my eyes to close on reflex.

With my lids half open, I peeked through the swirl of pink petals and spotted a haughty pair of blue irises as deep as the ocean.

 _That's strange. Why do those eyes seem so familiar?_

I turned around to catch sight of the rest of the figure, but the person was long gone.

 _Was that a ghost?_

My head started to ache as I tried to recall where I've seen those eyes before. I recognized this pain. It was the same dull pain I felt when I wake up in the middle of the night with fragments of the memories from my previous life.

I was a man in my previous life. I also knew that I lived until I was in my late twenties when a mass intergalactic war broke out. Of which, I was one of the many casualties in the Shinsengumi. I even remember being held in the arms of a woman during my last moments and feeling their tears stain my cheeks. I could clearly recall how my heart broke into pieces when I looked at the weeping figure's face. The most unfortunate part was that when I finally promised my future to this person, I wasn't even give a chance keep it.

Even if I wanted to find this person in my current life, I had no idea if they were also reborn in the same world or even, how they looked like. I could never see the lady's face, clothes or even hear their voice no matter how many times I've dreamt of that moment. Earlier memories were the same. They always left out any distinguishing feature of that person.

It was like trying to find the missing piece of a puzzle, but not knowing where to start. The thought often drove me mad and unfortunately, I could never consult with anyone about the matter without being labeled as mentally ill.

But before my last breath in this life could pass, I swear I'll find her.

* * *

 **Several Notes** :

1) This prologue has been updated as of Feb 6, 2018 because I finally decided to find that darn anomaly in this story-which occurred because I never officially set how much of Souko's memories remained when she was Sougo. Sorry for being lazy, lol.

2) Finding said anomaly means that I get to fix the inconsistencies in the following chapters. Sigh. I just made more work for myself. I can't fix it all at once so the chapters will be weird for awhile. Not sure how long it'll take with my midterms right now.

3) Characters will be slightly OOC. I tried to keep parts of Sougo and Kagura's personalities but they don't have all of their memories. As for the other characters, they'll likely be OOC because I haven't read/watched Gintama in about a year. Lol. Too busy these days.

4) Not really important. But this story was heavily influenced by Memory Lost, a Chinese romance-mystery novel by Ding Mo. Freaking beautiful story. If y'all haven't read it, you're missing out. There's also the drama. I freaking love Xu Si Bai.


	2. Arranged Marriage!

**01 - Arranged Marriage?!**

(Updated: Feb 6, 2018)

* * *

"Sou-chan."

Souko heard her aneue call out her nickname solemnly.

"What's wrong?" Souko asked, hoping her illness wasn't acting up again.

 _I lost her too early in my previous life, I didn't want to lose her in this one too._

"There's something important that I haven't told you."

Souko raised an eyebrow in surprise.

 _Was she trying to pull my leg?_

Souko focused her gaze on her aneue's eyes. Like her own, they were also deep red, but there was no sign of jesting.

"And that would be...?"

"I've told you before that a generous man has been supporting us ever since our parents passed away."

"Yeah. Daddy long legs...err, I mean our kind and gentle saviour." Souko corrected myself. She admitted that she found it difficult to play the obedient sibling in front of aneue all the time.

"Did he leave a weird condition in his will?" Souko tried to guess her thoughts.

"Kind of. Because he was a close friend of our parents, our parents agreed to marry us to his grandsons once we were legally able to. He wanted to wait until you and I were both sixteen and over before telling us."

"But I'm already twenty-two. And you're-"

"Don't say it." Aneue quickly covered Souko's mouth.

Mitsuba hated anyone who mentioned her real age. She still looked quite young for her age. Souko didn't see why she was so troubled by it.

"Anyways, he was willing to wait for us to find someone to marry rather than forcing his will on us. He'd fallen gravely ill as of late and was worried about our future after his death so he finally wants to fulfill his promise."

"Sorry, aneue. Could you say that again? I don't think I heard it right. Because he's ill, he wants us to do what exactly?"

"He wants us to live in his mansion and choose one of his grandsons to marry."

Souko stared at her blankly.

 _I didn't think becoming a woman was this troublesome._

"Alright." Souko agreed to ease Mitsuba's worry. "We'll go visit that old man...I mean, our generous donor tomorrow then."

Mitsuba let out a sigh of relief that she didn't know she'd been holding in. She was prepared to convince Souko if she rebelled.

Souko excused herself and hoped to find some law breakers to vent on while she tried to find a way out of this mess.

 _I hadn't even experience married life with a woman. Now, I have to marry a man?!_

* * *

Souko sucked on an orange chuubert while sitting on one of the park benches under the shade of a Japanese maple tree. This was the same bench that Souko frequently sat at in her previous life as Sougo when he was slacking off from his duties in the Shinsengumi. He often waited for a certain girl to pass through here and picked a fight with her just to pass the time. Now that her whereabouts are unknown, the days pass by a little too peacefully for his liking.

But, Souko spoke too soon. In a stall across the street from where she sat, she heard the voice of a typical hooligan.

"Hey. Old man. We're here to collect your debt." A man with a blue mohawk and gaudy gold chains shouted at the top of his lungs, frightening the elderly stall owner.

It really was unfortunate for that thug. That he didn't know whose district this really belonged to.

And just like a typical hero, Souko responded with her signature deadpan face, "Hey now. Can't you steal from someone else? I always liked the dango this store sells."

That got their attention.

"Oh, the little missy thinks she's so tough. Well then, why don't you play with us instead and we'll leave this old man's shop alone?" The mohawk thug's accomplice joined in, lacking a head of hair unlike his partner.

"I always liked playing with the big boys." Souko answered seductively.

All it took was for one wave of a finger and these men were already Souko's slaves. Before they realized it, they were following Souko on all fours. She lead them to the Shinsengumi compound with a dog leash she often kept handy.

She walked into the familiar compound and tied her 'dogs' around one of the nearby posts so they couldn't escape.

"More criminals? Okita-san, if you keep this up, we won't have enough room in the holding cell." Hijikata warned her.

"More like trouble keeps following me." Souko murmured as she recalled this morning's ordeal.

Hijikata ruffled Souko's hair like she was his little sister. "Don't worry. Things always get better."

This hateful guy was the one who broke her sister's heart in the previous life. If she acted out her memories, she'd have already pulled out a bazooka to end his life already. Unfortunately, she had no bazooka and he hasn't met her sister yet.

Hijibaka's sins weren't forgiven in her eyes, so for as long as Souko was alive, she vowed to prevent the two from meeting and make Hijikata as miserable as she could. For now, she was trying to find an innovative way to bother the Shinsengumi Vice Commander. Giving him more paperwork to do was the only thing she could think of at the moment.

 _If only people knew how much work goes into being evil…_

Souko shook her head, staring daggers at Hijikata's head while trying to get her bangs in order again. Ever since Sougo became a woman, she felt more pressure to take care of her appearance. It was really strange.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm not a little kid anymore. Don't you have better things to do? Like, I dunno, make love to Mayora-sama?"

"Wah. How dare you! You still haven't cherished Mayora-sama's greatness? Why don't I give you some right now?"

When Souko spotted the bottle of mayo he pulled from the inside of his coat, she instinctively kicked his balls and ran for it before he could stuff that disgusting dog food down her throat.

"Never again! I had diarrhea for weeks because of that!" She yelled out as she ran through the crowd on the street.

"I admit that bottle was expired but you're exaggerating!" Hijikata-san yelled out from behind her.

"Help! Help! This man is assaulting me!" She shouted at the top of her lungs as she ran through the streets.

A crowd started to form around him and he was forced to stop and pull out his badge.

"She's lying. I'm the police!" Souko heard him from afar.

Mission _'make Hijikata miserable'_ accomplished!

"Okita-kun." She heard someone call out to her as she passed one of the stores.

She turned back to see that the plain-looking passerby was a Shinsengumi officer, Yamazaki Sagaru. He seemed to have been patrolling the streets. If he hadn't spoken out, she would've never noticed he was there. He was perfect for his position as the spy of the Shinsengumi.

"You should refrain from saying vulgar words. No one's gonna marry you if you're like that."

"Really? That's all it takes?" Souko thought avoiding marriage with a man was surprisingly easier than she initially thought. "If I run away from home, do you think Kondo-san will let me stay at the compound?"

Souko felt a fist pound her head and she turned to glare at the owner of the fist, a panting Hijikata-san.

"Don't speak nonsense. The Shinsengumi isn't a suitable place for girls."

"Then, what if I dress up as a guy?" She casually mentioned after leaning on the side of the bridge. Her yellow yukata glowing in the sunlight, outlining her feminine figure.

Hijikata-san and Yamazaki-san both looked at her funny, as if they wondered where her sanity had gone.

She smirked. "Alright then. How bout I just reveal your deepest darkest secrets?"

* * *

 **A/N** : I don't know what I'm doing with my life. This is Gintama on crack guys. I need to change the title for this series. Lol. I didn't edit this. Other chapters will be updated within the next couple of days as I squeeze it in between homework.

To clarify, the prologue (in April) occurred two months before this chapter (in June).


	3. Meeting Daddy Long Legs!

**02 - Meeting Daddy Long Legs?!**

* * *

"Just watch. I'll get Kondo-san's approval." I declared.

This time, the two officers looked at each other in silence. They both knew that they had to choose their words carefully in order to sway her. Hijikata-san was the first to speak out.

"Look, oujo-san. I don't mean to discriminate. With your sword skills, if you seriously want to become a police officer, we'll welcome you to the force. But if you're running away from something and want to join the force as an excuse, then you're making a big mistake."

"I know. It's just-" I paused. I couldn't find the right words to say.

"Again, don't worry about it. Things will work out. I promise." He ruffled my hair again. I scowled at him and he grinned. He knows I hated it because it takes forever to fix. "Now go on and make up with your sister before I force Mayora-san down your throat."

"Alright already. Thanks for listening to me, Hijikata-san. Yamazaki-san." I bowed to each of them out of habit from the etiquette aneue drilled into me then headed home.

* * *

The two officers briefly watched the young girl walk home before heading in the opposite direction. Yamazaki turned towards his commanding officer. "We dodged a bullet there, didn't we?"

"Did we? I think the Shinsengumi needs more recruits these days."

"Speaking of recruits, I heard about the new guy that just joined us."

"Right. What was his name again?" Hijikata opened his mayo bottle to season the Shinsengumi sausage from his pocket.

"Kageki from the Yato clan."

"Seems like Matsudaira wants to integrate Amanto into our group." Hijikata noted. "Keep an eye on him, Yamazaki."

"Will do." Yamazaki saluted and cheerfully practiced his swings. He'd been bored as of late and was happy to take on a new order.

With each badminton swing, the angry symbol on Hijikata's head grew bigger. Eventually, Hijikata threw the empty mayo bottle in his hands at Yamazaki's head.

"If you have time to practice your swings, why don't you practice using your sword more?!"

* * *

"Aneue! I'm home!" I took off my shoes at the entrance and entered the kitchen.

Seeing aneue faced down on the floor, I frantically ran to her side and shook her awake.

"Aneue! Aneue!"

"Hnn." I watched her eyes open half-way. "Sou-chan, welcome home."

"Now's not the time for that. What happened? Did you have a relapse?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure. One second, I was trying to reach for the medicine bottle and the next, I fainted."

"Hang on a sec, let me get it."

After feeding the medicine to aneue and helping her drink water, she grabbed my hand.

"Sou-chan." She paused and looked into my eyes. "I'm not sure how long I'll live but if possible, I'd like to see you in your wedding dress before-"

She coughed up blood and I frantically searched for the handkerchief I always carried.

In between coughs, she managed to tell me, "Promise me...Promise me...you'll try...living with them...in the mansion..."

"Alright. Alright. I promise."

"Pinky promise." She held out her pinky towards me.

This was when I knew she was serious. Once a pinky promise was made, we couldn't break it or else we'd have to swallow a thousand needles, which I wasn't masochistic enough to do.

"Pinky promise." I curled my left pinky around her right pinky. "Just don't talk anymore, okay?"

She nodded her head pitifully and pulled out her own handkerchief to wipe off the blood from her hands.

It was at this point that I realized that I had been duped. The blood on her hands was actually diluted ketchup.

"Aneue!" I yelled.

"Hehehe." She snickered softly.

"That's not fair."

"Honestly, Sou-chan. Are you sure you just want to run away? You might even like one of his grandsons."

I pouted, still in denial over being forced into this arranged marriage setting.

"I swear I must've done something bad in my previous life."

( **A/N** : Ya think. ^_- You sadist.)

* * *

Aneue and I packed our belongings yesterday and were now standing in front of the wooden gate to that old geezer's mansion.

(Image on Wordpress)

"It's a lot bigger than I imagined." I looked at the length of the gate that seemed to go on forever before pushing a button for the intercom on the gate to indicate our presence. "Umm. Hi. We're hear to visit Daddy Long Legs-"

I winced after aneue nudged my side. For an ill person, she was certainly quite strong.

"Sou-chan!" She warned me.

A chuckle was heard from the intercom. Whoever was on the other side must've been enjoying our bickering.

"You two must be the Okita sisters." A low resonant voice followed the chuckle. "We weren't expecting you to show up so early. The rest of the staff are still preparing your rooms and meals. I can let you two in though."

We agreed and the gate opened up. A few meters away stood a long Japanese-style mansion. I was curious as to how many acres this whole place was.

"This guy's filthy rich." I blurted out.

Aneue nudged my side to remind me to behave even if it seemed no one was listening.

"Hehe. I mean...this house is absolutely stunning." I corrected myself. "I mean look at this."

I stood beside one of the hedges that resembled a maid with a tea set.

"Gotta love his aesthetics." I nodded.

I spotted aneue shake her head in disbelief from the corner of my eye.

After the short walk, we arrived at the entrance of the mansion. As if on cue, the main doors opened and a disheveled young man greeted us. His black hair was tied in a loose ponytail, his long bangs fell in messy strands around his face and his dark brown eyes looked at the two of us listlessly through his rimless glasses. His unbuttoned long sleeve shirt only served to heighten his appeal.

(Image on Wordpress)

If I had been any other girl, my heart would've skipped a beat. Or two. But for some reason, I didn't feel attracted to him. Or any guy, for that matter. I've been like this since I was child. It often made me wonder if I liked girls. They were certainly more interesting in terms of expressing their feelings of admiration towards my sword skills, but my interest towards them never went beyond friendship.

 _Sorry aneue, I may simply be asexual._

"Nice to meet you two. I'm Shimura Shinpachi, the gardener of the mansion. I mainly tend to the garden, but I'm good with tools and the like so I help out in areas of the house that are low in manpower."

"Ah. So you're the artist." I patted his shoulder. "My sister and I think you have great taste. I'm Okita Souko." I introduced myself before turning towards aneue. "And this is my older sister-"

"Okita Mitsuba." Aneue finished my sentence. "Nice to meet you." She reached out her hand to greet him with a firm handshake and he wiped away the dirt from his hands before shaking both of our hands.

"Likewise. I'm sure with two beautiful women around. The mansion will be more lively. And I assure you that the design for the hedges were all according to the old Master's taste. I only trim and shape them."

I gave him the benefit of a doubt.

 _Looks like we have a playboy in the mansion._

"Since I'm the only one around right now. I'll lead you to Master's study." He told us. "Also, take care not to call him by Daddy Long Legs, oujo-chan. Wouldn't want to give Master's frail heart a heart attack, do we?"

* * *

 **A/N** : A hot Shinpachi is weird, who's with me on this?


	4. A Game of Hide N' Go Seek

**03 - A Game of Hide N' Go Seek?!**

* * *

After following Shimura-san for what I felt was an endless hallway, we finally stopped in front of an unmarked shoji door and he called out to the master of the house. It made me wonder how on Earth was Shimura-san able to tell this particular door belonged to the old Master when none of the doors have name plate besides them. They all looked exactly the same to me.

"Master, I've brought the Okita sisters to you." He yelled out before promptly sliding the door open.

"Ah, sh*t. Shinpachi-kun, couldn't you have given me a few minutes to get ready?" A face popped up behind one of the many robots in the room.

(Image on Wordpress)

"Oops. I forgot." Shimura-san whistled innocently as he looked away.

The old man was sending him daggers for, I assume, not following through with their plan. He must've wanted to appear as a sickly dying old man in front of us to gain our pity. But, instead he appeared as a lively old man wearing oil-stained coveralls and a pair of work goggles, grinning at his newest invention. The smile on his face made me think that he still wasn't giving up on the original plan.

The old man went through a fit of coughs, convulsing unnaturally. Anyone could tell he was pretending. Shimura-san patted the old man on the back as a signal to stop embarrassing himself. Seeing that no one had fallen for his act, he shoved Shimura-san forward to get tea for us.

After Shimura-san left, the old man walked up to us and pulled us into his embrace even though he was clearly a head shorter. I spotted tears form in his eyes and aneueu's fierce glare in my direction forced me to respond back properly so I firmly wrapped my arms around him.

"You two have grown up so well. I don't see why neither of you have wed yet. The men around you two must be blind." He pulled away and looked fondly at us as if we were his own granddaughters.

"Oji-san. I'm grateful for all of the support you've given us but I can't keep calling you Daddy Long Legs. Shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" I pointed out.

"Ah, yes. I'm Hiraga Gengai, a close friend of your parents. I owe them for their support back when I was young and foolish. They helped invest in my business when no one else had. Else, I'd be a goner long ago."

I nodded along before getting straight to the point.

"Is there any way I can decline this arranged marriage?"

"Sou-chan!" Aneue yelled out. I was tricked into coming but I wasn't simply going to comply.

The old man laughed hysterically and I turned to stare at aneue, wondering if his illness had actually made him insane.

"Did I say something funny?" I asked.

"Oh. Oh. No." He mentioned once his voice stabilized. "It's just odd that you had the exact same reaction as _him_."

I raised an eyebrow at him, still confused.

"Well, then, Souko-chan. Since you're so adamant on not marrying one of my grandsons and I don't have the heart to force either of you. How bout we play a game?"

 _Now, you're speaking my language._

"What kind of game?" I felt my eyes widen a bit. My interest was piqued.

"It's simple. You and your sister will live here for six months. If by the end of those six months, either of you deem my grandsons as a suitable partner, then I'll prepare the wedding ceremony. If neither of you have fallen for my grandsons by then. You're both free to leave and I won't bring up the matter of marriage again."

 _Alright!_

"Sounds good to me. So, when are we meeting your grandsons?" I asked, eager to reject my future suitor.

The old man grinned.

"You'll have to find that out for yourself."

I blinked. Twice. Slightly irritated that he's made things more difficult than they had to be.

"Fair enough." I agreed. I just had to turn down any man who pursued me.

 _That sounded simple enough, right?_

"If I may ask, Gengai-san. Since your grandsons know who we are, but we don't know who they are, could you give us a few hints to identify them?" Aneue finally spoke up.

"Alright. Alright." I watched the old man pace back and forth, thinking thoroughly which information he wanted to divulge without completely giving away his grandsons' identities.

The sliding door opened and Shimura-san returned with a complete tea set.

"Ladies, why don't you sit while Master thinks things over."

Aneue and I complied, watching Shimura-san pour tea into our cups in one smooth motion as if he'd done this thousands of times before.

The old man finally stopped pacing and joined us at the table in the centre of the room.

"I'll give you three hints."

I sipped my tea and nodded, urging him to continue.

"I only have two grandsons. They're rarely ever home as they both work in the Shinsengumi. We're not blood-related. I had adopted them when they were young."

 _Gee. That really narrows the options down. NOT! The Shinsengumi had hundreds of men. Even if she infiltrated the place, how can she be sure which one of them was his grandson. There was no distinct birthmark, etc._

"Will you really not give us more hints?" I begged.

"Nope. My lips are sealed." I watched him yawn. "And it's time for this old man to head to bed for his afternoon nap."

 _Stubborn old man. If aneue could look away for one second, I'm sure I could threaten him into talking._

Hearing his master's order, Shimura-san packed up the tea set and tucked his master in bed before showing us out to our bedrooms.

"I hope you don't take offence to Master's actions. He just wants to look out for you two. You never know who you can trust after all."

Aneue's room was right next to mine and we decided to separate to unpack our belongings. I had very little luggage with me. Just two suitcases of my essentials and some clothing. I figured the old man would have most of the necessities already prepared and as I opened the closet in my room, I found that I was right.

Looking through these clothes, some were quite small and frilly. It made me wonder how long he had been expecting us to move in with him. I even felt a tinge of pity for the old man. Just a tinge. I was still irritated at my current dilemma.

I headed to aneue's room to ask if she needed help with her belongings, but she had already finished unpacking by the time I came around.

"Aneue." I called out.

"What's wrong, Sou-chan?" Aneue sensed my usually calm demeanor fade.

"I want to join the Shinsengumi."

* * *

 **A/N** : Any guesses as to who the two grandsons are? Good luck~


	5. Entering the Shinsengumi!

**04 - Entering the Shinsengumi?!**

* * *

"I want to join the Shinsengumi." I declared, slightly nervous for aneue's reaction.

"Oh. Sou-chan." Aneue gave me a hug and continued to talk. I felt her breath tickle my neck. "Even when you were little, you were always so energetic, wandering around whenever I took my eyes off of you. I always knew you wouldn't remain at my side forever but, have you thought about it carefully? You're not just joining the Shinsengumi to find your fiancé?"

I knew she'd ask that.

"Nope. I know it seems sudden, but I've been thinking about it a lot for these past few days. I want to be able to protect you, aneue, but also those who can't protect themselves. In order to hone my sword skills and have the authority to act out justice, I want to enter the Shinsengumi."

I felt aneue squeeze me tighter. I think she realized that there was nothing she could do to change my mind.

"It'll be dangerous. Sou-chan."

"I know."

"You better take care of yourself."

"I will."

"You better not end up in a casket before I do."

"I promise."

She let go of me and held out her pinky. I followed suit.

 _I promise._

The next morning, I excused myself after breakfast to visit the Shinsengumi headquarters. The men had just finished their morning exercise and started to pile into a room for their morning meeting to discuss the recent events in Edo. Seeing that I wasn't a member of the Shinsengumi yet, I waited outside for them to finish their meeting.

As I watched the men leaving the room to go about their daily duties, I tried to find the old man's grandsons among the crowd. It was quite difficult to tell, seeing as that stubborn old man didn't give away any of his grandsons' distinguishing features.

 _I give up. I'll just stick to my original goal._

While lost in thought, I spotted some spiky V-shaped bangs exit the room. I could spot that hairstyle from a mile away.

"Hijikata-san!"

"Okita-kun. What are you doing here? Did you bring in another criminal?"

"No. I've been thinking about what you've said since the last time we talked and I've made up my mind, I want to join the Shinsengumi."

The crowded hallway that was bursting with life became eerily quiet after I spoke. All eyes were on the two of us.

"I'm assuming your sister has approved?"

I nodded.

"Then, I'll take you to meet Kondo-san."

Hijikata-san led me to the Commander that was still sitting in the meeting room. He was diligently wipind down his sword. With his spiky hair and untrimmed goatee, I thought I was watching a gorilla clean a sword, but I kept that info to myself. Everyone else came back into the room to watch the scene unfold.

"Kondo-san, this oujo-san is Okita Souko. She wants to join the Shinsengumi."

(Image on Wordpress)

I watched Kondo-san scrutinize me from head to toe. The seconds passed by as if they were hours.

"Ah. So this is the famous Okita-kun." He nodded to himself. "I approve. You're in."

Besides Kondo-san, everyone fell face first onto the floor. Even I didn't think it'd be that easy to get his approval.

Looking around at our confused looks, he tried to explain himself.

"Hijikata-san. Even you've been concerned that about the rumours of the Shinsengumi officers being full of homos. With this, we can recruit a member and dispel the rumours."

"Hold on. I object." I heard a voice from the opposite corner of the room. The owner of said voice was a young man with braided vermillion hair who seemed to be around my age. He didn't wear the same Shinsengumi uniform as Kondo-san. Instead, he wore a long black robe with gold lining reminiscent of the Shinsengumi uniform, a pair of white pants and black shoes. He didn't seem like he belonged to the Shinsengumi at all.

"Excuse me. Are you lost? The airport terminal is that way." I pointed to the exit. Something about him rubbed me the wrong way. I wasn't sure why.

"This is Kageki, our new captain for Division 1." Hijikata-san introduced him. "Do you have a problem with Kondo-san's decision?"

"Not really. I'm just not fond of female officers."

"Aww. Did one of them break your heart before?" I asked, hoping to rub some salt in his wound.

I watched him laugh.

"All the female officers I've met so far were all bark, no bite. But, I like the way you think, little girl. How 'bout this? If you can spar with me for five minutes. I'll accept you into the Shinsengumi."

I smirked. This guy didn't know how much I was itching to beat him up.

"You're on."

Before the two of us could make a move, Hijikata-san stood in between us with his hands held out and blew a whistle to get our attention.

"Time out. Time out. Where do you think you are? HQ isn't your playground. You can't just go around destroying the meeting room. Head outside if you two idiots want to play. Kondo-san, do you agree with this?"

Kondo-san gave us a thumbs up as a sign of his approval.

After kicking us out onto the courtyard, Hijikata-san agreed to be the referee for our match. The broken-hearted playboy and I agreed to use shinai (bamboo swords) to make things fair. If one of us left the boundary of the courtyard, then that person was disqualified.

With Hijikata-san keeping track of the time with his pocket watch, the two of us prepared ourselves at opposite corners of the courtyard.

"One. Two. Three." Hijikata-san blew his whistle to signal the start of the match.

I kept my eyes on the idiot's vermillion head and charged forward. But before we made contact, he disappeared.

I looked around me, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Heads up, oujo-san." I heard his voice above me.

 _Sh*t._

I managed to raise my sword in time to block his, but I was still at a disadvantage. For such a lean man, he possessed such monstrous strength.

 _How was I going to get myself out of this mess?_


	6. The One With the Orange 'Fro!

**05 - The One With The Orange 'Fro?!**

* * *

"Heads up, oujo-san."

When our swords clashed, I could tell he was quite confident in winning.

"Ah-ah-choo!" I sneezed. "Ah. I think I'm allergic to you. Could you stay away from me?"

Disgusted at my unlady-like manners, he backed off and glared at me as if I was the most dangerous bacteria in the world.

I smiled innocently.

 _Didn't think I'd do that, did cha?_

Now that we'd both had a good warm up, it was time for the real deal. His hand motioned for me to come forward and I complied. I ran forward, pulling out all the moves I knew, consecutively trying to find a break in his defense. I really wanted to wipe off that smug look on his face but he continued dodging.

"Hwisss." In the middle of one of my attacks, I heard Hijikata-san blow his whistle to end the match. I found it difficult to stop based on my current momentum. As expected, that sh*tty playboy dodged.

What I didn't expect was that he'd extend his left arm to catch me.

"Aww. Thanks for saving me, my snotty prince~" I wiped my nose on his sleeve.

He froze as if being in direct contact with me gave him hives. He only coldly said two words before brushing me off.

"Get. Off. You slimy woman." He mentioned before walking away.

"Welcome to the Shinsengumi, Okita-san." Kondo clapped. "I haven't seen Kageki so riled up since he came here. We're glad to have you around. Not all of the squad captains are present today so we'll get you to join a squad tomorrow."

* * *

"Welcome home, Sou-chan." Aneue asked, watching my solemn figure as I took my shoes off to enter the mansion. "How was it?"

I slowly came forward, before yelling "I got in!"

I raced towards her for a big hug. "Did you doubt my skills, aneue?"

"I knew you were just pretending to look sad. How can they not let you in?"

"Hehehe." I'm glad aneue didn't ask for the details. I didn't want to be reminded of a certain germaphobe.

"Come in. Let's have dinner."

Tama, a robot maid with verdant hair, served our dinner in the dining room. The old man didn't join us as he was too busy getting lost in making his robots. But, Shimura-san kept us company. He told us old tales of oji-san's failed experiments like his soy sauce swords.

"So, oujo-chan, any luck with your husband hunting?" Shimura-san asked mischievously.

"Not at all." I sighed.

Seeing my distressed face, he willingly gave us another hint.

"Hmm. Well, those two have interesting hairstyles. You can tell it's them from a mile away, even just by at their shadow."

"Ah. That's good to know. I was starting to think they were ghosts."

"Maybe~ Maybe not~"

When aneue reached for the spoon that she dropped on the ground, I quickly aimed for the megane's head with my meat bun. I watched the bun hit him square on the face as he fell backwards unconscious.

"Eh. What happened?" Aneue asked after hearing something fall.

"Oh nothing. Shimura-san has just been overworked lately. He decided to take a little nap is all. I think I'll head to bed too. Good night, aneue~"

Just before I slept, I thought about that megane's words. "If the men I'm looking for have interesting hairstyles, then at least all the men without hair or have the chonmage (Shogun's) hairstyle are out. Those are too common."

* * *

I woke up early to eat breakfast in the mansion, then wore the standard Shinsengumi uniform and took a twenty minute walk to the compound for the morning meeting. After discussing the recent events and missions, Hijikata-san introduced all of the squad captains in a line and what each squad was in charge of. My attention was focused more on the former rather than the latter during the introductions. There were only two among the captains that had striking hairstyles.

The pink-braided germaphobe, Squad 1 Captain Kageki, and a flashy orange afro samurai, Squad 3 Captain Saito. Along with the V-shaped bangs Mayora addict Vice Commander and the spiky-haired gorilla-like Commander, these four were the only possible fiancée candidates. Everyone else had common hairstyles or had no aura at all like Yamazaki-san.

Surprisingly, that megane's hint was more helpful than it sounded initially. I'll remember to use less force when I throw something at him next time.

 _Ah, I'm such a good kid._

"Kondo-san, could I try out two of the divisions?" I asked.

"There's still the interview you have to pass before you can officially join. All divisions have an interview except Division Three." He explained. "Which squads are you interested in?"

"Division One and Three."

I suddenly felt two glares at the back of my head.

 _I would avoid you two dangerous freaks too, if I could..._

"Kageki and Saito, you two stay. Everyone else can go back." Kondo-san called out.

I looked at the leftovers. One annoyed germaphobe on my left and an emotionless orange afro on my right. Since I dealt with Division 1's Captain yesterday, I decided to go to Division 3 today.

I turned towards Saito-san and greeted him.

"Please take care of me, Captain Saito."

He didn't respond, but I preferred his silence over a certain fool's foul mouth. I followed him out of the room but not before sticking my tongue out at the pink baka's surprised face.

Captain Saito's legs were longer than mine so I would fall behind every so often. I noticed that he would also slow down for a bit, then start walking again once I got close. From his actions, I could tell his cold exterior was just a front.

 _This was kinda nice. I didn't like him romantically or anything, but he was quite refreshing to be with compared to all the other men in my life._

After reaching his room, Saito-san pulled off the two swords from his back and started to wipe them down just like the Gorilla Commander from the other day.

"Captain Saito, is there anything for me to do?"

I stood by the entrance and watched him repeat the same motion for who knows how long. It even seemed like his swords had turned into lightsabers from the way they lit up the room.

On second thought, he's a little too quiet. Now that I think about it, he's the only one that didn't speak up during the introductions.

He then switched his attention to one of the bound notebooks on his table. Then, he pulled out a brush and dipped it in ink. I watched him make big motions throughout the pages. It made me curious as to what made him so passionate all of a sudden. I tiptoed close enough to look over his shoulder.

"Ne~ Captain Saito~ What'cha writing about?"

* * *

 **A/N** : P.s. I'll write a side story about Saito's diary later on~


	7. zzzZZZ

**06 - zzZZZZ?!**

* * *

"Ne~ Captain Saito~ What'cha writing about?"

I wasn't sure if the document was classified, but he quickly slammed the book shut and pointed outside.

 _Did he want me to leave? I couldn't just do that after all the effort it took to get here._

"Is there something you need?"

He nodded.

"Do you want me to get you some tea?"

He nodded eagerly.

 _O-kay. Was he that thirsty?_

I headed to the kitchen and ran into Hijikata-san. He seemed to be hiding something behind his back.

"Are you hiding your disgusting mayo behind your back?"

"It's the last one. I don't want someone else to take it."

I patted his shoulder.

"It'll be fine.I swear no one will steal that stuff unless they want to die. Most likely twice. First, by the mayo. Second, by you. Now, let's talk about a more important issue. Where's your ground tea and tea set?"

Hijikata-san pointed to a cupboard near the fridge and continued to suck on his mayo as if it was the only thing keeping him alive.

"Slow down will you? If you end up choking, I refuse to exert any energy to save you."

While I boiled the water for the tea, I noticed that Hijikata-san returned to his normal self.

"Hijikata-san, have you ever heard Captain Saito speak?"

"I've known him for over ten years, but I've never heard his voice." He admitted. "We always took him for the calm silent type. But then again, there was that one incident..."

 _Ooh. This sounded juicy._

"What incident?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, oujo-san. I still have other things to take care of. Have a good night."

"Wha-look at this punk leaving me hanging! Unbelievable."

Just then, I spotted Yamazaki-san passing through the corridor. Perfect timing. I eyed him like he was my prey and pounced, bringing him under my arm.

"Yamazaki-san~" I tried calling his name in a cute voice and even thought of a cute nickname for him. "Zaki~"

I could feel him cringe under my arm.

"Could you stop calling my name in that disgusting tone, Okita-kun? It doesn't suit you at all. What do you want anyway?"

"Fine. Hijikata-san just mentioned an incident where Captain Saito wasn't so calm and silent. Then, he ran away. What incident is he talking about?"

"If Hijikata-san won't tell you. Why should I?"

"Cause I can get you arrested for sexual harassment. Now talk."

"But I didn't-"

I tightened my hold around his head, forcing the blood to rush to his head.

"Alright. Alright. I'll talk." I loosened my grip around his head to let him speak properly, but I refused to completely let him go.

"There was one incident where the Joui leader, Katsura Kotarou, infiltrated our ranks by disguising himself with an afro and joining Squad Three. He incriminated Saito-san as a traitor and while in the middle of his trial, everyone could tell he was nervous and felt pressured to speak out and deny Katsura's claim. But right before he did speak, Katsura-san accidentally pulled out his afro wig and the trial ended with us chasing Katsura-san like usual."

"Why is this incident such a big secret?"

"Because Saito-san is in charge of purging traitors in the Shinsengumi. If traitors knew how easy it was to infiltrate and trick our members to attack each other. We wouldn't have as much authority in the citizens' eyes now, would we?"

"Wait. Are you saying that the reason, Saito-san is the only member of Squad Three is because he purged all of his members as traitors?"

"Bingo."

I let go of Yamazaki-san's head as I imagine my own head rolling on the floor.

 _Crap._

I hoped Captain Saito didn't mistake my intentions. I wasn't trying to peek at confidential info or anything. I may not have the most noble intentions when I joined the Shinsengumi but I didn't feel like losing my head because of a misunderstanding.

"Hold on. Yamazaki-san, is there anything else I should know about Captain Saito?"

* * *

"Captain Saito." I called out.

As expected, there was no response.

"It's Souko. I'm coming in with your tea."

I swung open the shoji door to his room and noticed that the lamp was no longer lit, but I could still spotted Saito-san's afro in the dark. He was sleeping on a futon at the centre of the room.

"ZZzzzzz. ZZZzzz."

I giggled.

 _Why do his snores sound like Z's?_

Looking at him sleeping so innocently, it was hard to imagine him as the same man who's cut down his ex-comrades.

 _Now, how can I get him to trust me?_

Since the man himself only communicates with written words, why not do the same? I pulled out a fresh piece of paper from his desk and used his brush to write out my honest thoughts.

 _To Captain Saito,_

 _I have no intention of turning my back against the Shinsengumi members or pitting the members against each other. I sincerely hope that you and I can get along in the future. I hope you don't mind that I asked others about you, but I heard that you often have stomach pain so I went out to buy you pills to help your stomach relax. I also heard that you were a man of few words so if you ever need me to get you something, feel free to write out your thoughts._

 _Your friendly underling,_

 _Okita Souko_

It was quite late by the time I finished writing so I headed back to the mansion to rest.

 _If Saito-san was my fiancée, would he act so cold towards me? That didn't seem right. I don't think he's that old geezer's grandson._

* * *

"Good morning Captain Saito!" I greeted him.

He didn't even bother to turn around.

"I got you tea. Here, I'll pour you some." I even held the cup out for him to take, but he didn't even look at my eyes.

 _Is it just me or is he acting even colder than yesterday?_

"Captain Saito, if you don't tell me what's on your mind, I'll just follow you around until you do."

He pulled out a signboard from out of nowhere. On its surface were his thoughts.

【Is that a threat?】

I vigorously shook my head.

"No. Not at all. Did you read my letter?"

【Yes. Thanks for the stomach relaxants.】

"Do you trust me when I say I'm not a spy?"

He hesitated. I think it meant that he was thinking carefully about my question.

【I never thought you were a spy.】

"Oh. Thank you~ Long live Captain Saito! You're the best~"

I jumped up and hugged him out of reflex. When I looked up towards him, I noticed that he was frozen stiff. In the next second, it felt as if he had lost his head. Even smoke started to come out from his ears.

"Oh no. Captain Saito, I think I broke you."

When I saw the color on the captain's face return to normal, he seemed to snap out of his trance and put all of his strength in pushing me out of his room and sliding the shoji door shut.

"Can I take this as you kicking me out of Squad Three?"

He slipped a piece of paper out of the door.

"Yezzzz."

* * *

 **A/N** : Ah. This went into a direction I didn't perceive. Oops. It feels like I'm shipping these two now. Lol.


	8. Cuffed Like A Criminal

**07 - Cuffed Like a Criminal?!**

* * *

The next day, I begrudgingly walked to the dojo where I spotted the Squad 1 Captain sparring with his members. Noticing my presence from the corner of his eye, he taunted me.

"Well, look at what wind blew in."

 _Definitely, not your soul. You're still missing it._

I would've rebuked him like usual but I needed his approval for my official enrollment so I had no choice, but to ignore his previous statement as I thought about the next few words I had to say while staring at a random spot on the wooden floor.

 _I hate to say it but-_

"I'd like to join Squad One." I felt all the energy drain from my body as I struggled to state that one sentence.

I heard his sparring partner collapse on the floor along with all of his other members. Sensing that there were no more members to spar with, he finally turned his attention towards me.

"Really?"

I spotted his feet come into view on the wooden floor, then felt my chin forcibly tipped up by his shinai. I had no choice, but to look directly into his deep blue eyes.

 _Strange. Why do I have a feeling I've seen those eyes before?_

"Now, tell me the real reason you're here." He urged.

There was no really no point in hiding the truth when the walls had ears like Yamazaki-san.

"I got kicked out of Squad Three." I confessed, blushing at the thought of yesterday's hug with Captain Saito. But, in my defense, I only realized after the hug that my behaviour was improper. If aneue knew, I would've been severely scolded for hugging an unmarried man who wasn't even related to me.

He pulled back his shinai, but I wasn't sure if he believed me or not.

"C'mon. Follow me. It's time for your interview."

I followed my soon-to-be Captain to the inner section of the Shinsengumi compound where he stopped at one particular room. It was every criminal's worst nightmare, the dreaded Interrogation Room.

"Get in." He prompted as held the door open. "Ladies first."

"You're kidding, right?" I looked at him like he was insane.

"I thought you wanted to enter Squad One. I'm just here to give you the special V.I.P. treatment."

"By interrogating me like a criminal?!"

"Shouldn't you be familiar with Edo law? You're guilty until proven innocent."

Still shocked at the turn of events, he grabbed my right arm, pulled me into the room, and pushed me onto the only seat in the room but not without cuffing me to the table.

 _Ridiculous._

This was obviously abusing his authority. Now I know why the common folk hate the police so much.

"Say cheese for the camera." He repositioned the camera from the corner of the room to be directly in front of me.

"You're despicable." I spat out then saw the camera flash. He purposely took a photo while I was speaking. I can't even imagine the expression on my face right now.

"Why, thank you. I try my best."

* * *

"As you know, Squad One deals with patrolling the streets and taking care of dangerous criminals and rebels alike. Since you haven't been purged immediately by Saito-san, I can assume you're neither. But, I'll still take precautions."

"Huh. I think we both know who the real criminal here is." She commented.

Kageki ignored her comment and started to explain the rules.

"The real interview starts now. You'll be recorded with that camera in the corner for the archives so watch what you say. Who knows who'll be watching this video in the future. And I'm sure you're familiar with the one-way mirror. Even I'm not sure who's on the other side of the wall, so make sure to behave yourself. Do you understand, ou-jo-san?" Kageki emphasized the last word like he was speaking to a toddler, which really grated on Souko's nerves.

Souko glared at him like a wild animal, willing to pounce at any moment if provoked further, but that didn't scare off Kageki. In fact, it felt right.

"Let's start off easy. What's your name?"

"Okita Souko."

"Age?"

"Twenty-two."

"Marital status?" She twitched.

"Unmarried."

"Never married?"

"Yes." She groaned.

"Hair color?"

"Light brown."

"Eye color?"

"Dark red."

"Height?"

"One hundred and seventy centimeters."

"Weight?"

"Fifty-eight kilograms."

"Your three sizes?"

"Ninety-three, twenty-ah-you pervert!"

He grinned.

"This was to test your attention span. Let this be a lesson. The second you lose focus on a mission results in casualties. Either to you or your comrades."

Souko looked dubiously at the Squad One Captain. She wasn't sure if he really was just teaching her a lesson or using this interview as an excuse for whatever perverted thoughts he had. She made a mental note to never let her guard down if she was ever in the same room as him.

"Moving on. Where did you train your sword?"

"I-" She hesitated.

Her sword skills were one of the few things she remembered in her past life. It was a bit difficult to outright admit that fact without being labeled as insane so she kept the truth to herself. "I learned it from a passing hermit."

"I see. Then, there's just one thing I'm not clear about. What's a young girl like you doing in the Shinsengumi? Are you out to play hero? Get revenge? Or, better yet-" He looked straight into her deep red eyes. "Hunting men for marriage?"

The way the question was worded really ticked Souko off. Especially that last bit.

"Before I answer that, Captain Kageki, I believe that you also owe me an explanation. Why do hate women so much?"

 _Krshh._ The speaker for the intercom turned on.

"Wrap it up, Kageki." Hijikata's voice was heard. "I have a new assignment for Okita-kun."

"It's not that I hate women. It's when I see them that I naturally assume they're my rivals."

Souko was confused at his statement. He didn't seem like he was lying. But, he didn't seem like he was telling the complete truth, either, so she also followed his example.

"Alright. Since you're being so honest, I'll admit that I entered the Shinsengumi to hone my skills. Aneue is the only living relative I have left. I want to be able to protect her. And if that means putting one more criminal behind bars to keep her safe, then that's what I'll do."

"I see. So you're just a siscon."

"That's better than you, misogynist!"

"Well, that concludes the interview. Seeing that you're mentally capable of answering under stress, you passed. All that's left is to print your photo ID." He explained, then proceeded to unlock her hand from one of the cuffs and pass forward her ID and badge.

Souko finally saw how outrageous she looked. Bloodshot eyes, disheveled hair and her mouth wide open.

"Captain, could you do me a favor?" She leaned close enough to whisper into his ear while he was still bent over to unlock the second cuff from the table.

Startled by her voice in his ear, Captain Kageki dropped the key on the floor. Souko used his disgruntled state to her advantage and locked his arm into the cuff that once held her hand before grabbing hold of the key and backing away.

"Could you stay locked up in here for a few more hours? I need my beauty nap." I pouted.

"Give it back." He stretched out his free hand towards her.

"Only if you can come and take it out yourself." She dropped the key into the most secure place she could think of, her chest.

"You!" He shouted as she walked out of the room.


	9. Drink Until You Drop

**08 - Drink Until You Drop!**

* * *

"You!"

Hearing that mysogynist yell out in pain first thing in the morning was music to my ears. I found myself skipping as I left him chained to the table.

 _Ah. Today is gonna be a good day._

"I see you're having fun, oujo-san."

I looked towards the source of the voice, Hijikata-san then at Yamazaki-san. It seemed that they had both been waiting for me.

"What's up with Grumpy?" I nudged Yamazaki-san.

The lines between Hijikata-san's forehead drew closer at my comment.

"Sorry. Sorry. Vice-Commander, how may this humble servant be of help to you?" I groveled, hoping to appease his anger.

"I need you to head to Kabuki-cho a.s.a.p. We need intel on one of Edo's most wanted list, Kuraba Touma. He's at Snack Smile and they're short-staffed at the moment."

"Uh-uh-uh. Say no more. Vice-Commander. I get it. You need me to go undercover and catch the guy when he's the most vulnerable. One domineering hostess coming right up."

I quickly turned around and barely took one step before the collar of my uniform was grabbed.

"Not so fast, oujo-san. You're new to this. Just take it easy. I just need you to get him drunk enough so he'll spill the address where his weapons and drugs are exchanged next. I'll lead Squad One to the meeting place and arrest the whole gang."

I groaned. It was a lot less exciting than I originally thought, but at least, it was better than hanging around here, especially with the mysogynist seeking revenge on my head.

"Alright. Alright. Still one domineering hostess coming right up though."

Hijikata-san shook his head in disbelief.

"You're really shameless."

"I was born that way." I winked.

He shook his head again, then stretched out his hand. I blinked twice, trying to feign innocence, but he only tilted his head knowingly.

"Tch."I reluctantly handed over the key from my bosom and pouted.

 _So much for hoping he wouldn't notice._

"Be careful, oujo-san." I felt him pat my head. He just couldn't resist messing up my hair before walking away.

 _What an annoying guy._

* * *

As soon as I spotted the target in Snack Smile, I let myself ease into my role. He already had a few drinks so he was quite tipsy.

(Image on Wordpress)

I hugged the target's arm and seduced him with all my might, "Oji-sama~ Wanna play with an HS girl?"

The target eagerly nodded his head.

 _What scum._

"Oji-chan~ You have lots of money right? Can you buy Dom Perignon for me?" I pouted.

"Sure. Sure. I want one bottle of Dom Perignon!" He ordered.

"Eh?!" I was shocked. "Only one? I think you can easily afford more than that, oji-chan~" I trailed two fingers up his arm.

"Alright. Order as many as you want, oujo-chan~"

I smirked.

"Bring a hundred bottles of Dom Perignon for our dear customer! It's his birthday!" I cheered. "You know what this means ladies~"

"Champagne tower!" All of the hostesses yelled back.

I ignored the frozen state of my "beloved" customer as he tried to calculate his bill. I know the mission was to get the address of the next exchange of illegal goods, but I just couldn't resist swindling about 20 million yen from this poor sucker.

With the wine glasses stacked upright onto each other like a pyramid, I stood behind the tower and started to pour the first bottle of Dom Perignon at the topmost glass, watching the liquid overflow and pass onto the cups below.

"Drink! Souko-chan! Drink!" They cheered.

Since I didn't feel like ruining the mood, I shrugged my shoulders.

 _Why not?_

I quickly emptied the first glass and the next thing I knew, my vision blurred and I felt weightless…just like I was falling. Then, everything turned black.

* * *

I winced from the sudden increase in light. Forcing my eyes open, I realize this wasn't my usual bedroom in the mansion. I was in a hospital bed with a matching hospital gown and an IV drip attached to me. Aneue was standing by the window after parting the curtains to let the sunlight in.

"Sou-chan! Sou-chan!" As soon as aneue spotted my eyes open, she ran to my side, and held my head in her arms.

"Ane-Aneue! You're suffocating me. I can't breathe."

"Ah. Sorry, Sou-chan." I felt her release her iron grip and settle by a seat beside me.

"Umm. Aneue. What happened last night?"

"Last night?! I should be asking you that! You drank a cup of alcohol and passed out. What were you thinking?!"

I laughed awkwardly, trying to ease the tense mood.

"I see. Well, that was the first time I had alcohol so I didn't know I had such low tolerance." I tried to make up a plausible excuse before lowereing my head. "I'm sorry aneue."

"I won't ask you what you were doing last night. I'm assuming it's work-related. But you have to stick to your promise and take better care of yourself. Don't make me worry like that. I-I thought I lost you last night."

"But hey, I passed out and didn't hit my head on anything. That's a good sign."

"That's only because a nice officer managed to catch you in time."

My eyes lit up.

 _Could he be one of our fiancés?_

"Wait. Which officer?"

Before aneue could answer, the door to my hospital room opened.

"Nice to see you so lively, Okita-kun."

I didn't even need to turn around to identify the owner of that husky voice.

"Why Hijikata-san, you have such wonderful timing. Can't you see you're disturbing our sister bonding time?"

I glared at him.

"Sou-chan. That's not the way I taught you to speak to your elders." I heard aneue reprimand me.

"Oh. It's alright, Mitsuba-san." He paused.

"Thank you for taking care of my eccentric imouto." Aneue responded.

This sight was strange. Aneue often told her to look at others' eyes when speaking to them, but even she was not looking directly at Hijikata-san's eyes.

 _Hold on_. _Is that also a tinge of red in her cheeks?_

"I'm quite used to Okita-kun's commentary by now. Wouldn't be Okita-kun without her remarks." Hijikata-san added, placing a basket of fruits by the small table beside me.

 _Ah. Hold on a sec. It wasn't just her cheeks that were red. It was her whole face._

I turned away, but I still felt aneue's glare on my back. Yikes. I was in for some tough etiquette lessons when I come home. Maybe I should fake an illness so I won't have to go home anytime soon?

 _I really need to change his name to Hijibaka. He just can't read the mood._

"Hijiba-I mean Hijikata-san, is there something you need from me?" I tried changing the topic.

"I wanted to ask about last night." He started.

As if on cue, aneue excused herself from the room.

"I know you're still recovering so I'll get straight to the point. Did you get any info out of Kuraba last night?"

 _Crap_. _I knew he'd ask that._

"Umm." I hesitated. "What if I said no?"

He sighed.

"Figures. Kuraba's gone into hiding. I think he found out you were undercover. Especially after your little stunt. What kind of hostess can't even drink? More importantly, you couldn't even handle alcohol and yet you still drank."

He shook his head.

"This was my fault. I rushed getting you onto the field when you weren't fully prepared. You're off the case. Just focus on recovering. I'll send Yamazaki over to see how you're doing."

I heard the door shut after he left, then plopped back down onto the bed.

My first case and I blew it.

"There's only one way to fix this..."

 _I'll get that b*stard Kuraba myself._

* * *

 **A/N** : Fun fact, guys~ So I googled (haphazardly) how much the average (75cl) bottle of the Dom Perignon brand is and found out that one bottle = 1 475 Euros or 200 thousand yen…so 100 bottles is about 20 million yen. Dude just got ripped off so bad.

I wanted Sougo to have low alcohol tolerance just like in the anime~

This chapter's Alternative Title: Playing Robin Hood…err…Robbing the Hood

And, is it just me or is every chapter getting weirder and weirder? It might seem like I'm talking non-sense, but we're getting closer to what I call '' the trigger event '', where everything turns 180 degrees. It'll be awhile till I write it though. Sorry TT_TT


End file.
